Ericsson Mobile Office-DC 23. That is the modem hiding in a PCMCIA card (A.K.A. PC-card). It is as simple as pushing it into the bottom PC slot of my Macintosh at one end and, at the other, clipping it to the bottom of the cell phone. All I had to do was get the configuration string from tech support to use it with America Online. It sounds much scarier than it really is. Once that was done; well, here I am.

Around Christmas, the speaker stopped working on my new Apelco 520 handheld VHF. On some bridges there is a sign that tells you what channel the tender monitors and also the phone number of the tower. There I was able to phone bridge tenders to request an opening. But until I can order pizza delivery from the VHF, the cell phone is a communications device that comes off the boat and travels with me everywhere. In addition, wherever the computer is, the DC 23 modem is within reach.

You might have read about recent mergers between other major cellular and Internet companies. They are reporting plans to spend billions to develop systems making it easier to access the Internet from a mobile phone. Ericsson now has an Infrared modem for the phone, eliminating the use of wires, and they are soon to release a faster modem. I have also seen antennas that combine the reception of GSM, VHF and FM for your boat. As I see it, the other guys will be playing catch-up.

My Macintosh computer is a powerful communications tool, like any other computer. I talk more about it on the Digital page.

The Apelco 520. Yes, a handheld VHF for the single-handed sailor is a must. This one is submersible (one step beyond waterproof) and comes with both a rechargeable battery pack and another that holds 5 AA batteries as a backup. To enhance its reception I bought a high gain antenna for it. I've done no comparison tests between the two antennas to date, but the reception of the Apelco is better than the 15+ years Sea Ranger 3000 that came with the boat. It is loaded with features, but the instruction manual is difficult to comprehend. The unit was replaced, free of charge, when the speaker stopped working.